You Can't Pick Your Family
by The Caramel Koopa
Summary: What is it that defines family? When you grow older and turn away from those you were once close to, do blood ties even matter? When they're forced to take on responsibilities and pressures beyond fighting Mario, can the Koopalings remain a family?
1. Honeymoon

_Here's the start of a new story. This is a bit different for me than most of my stories, as I don't have it completely plotted out. I have scenes that I intend to put in, many of which match the Mature Rating of this story. But some things will just come to me in time. So I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. :)__  
>Also, I don't own these characters. If I did, they would have their own game series by now.<em>

* * *

><p><em>Married. I'm not a young girl anymore. I'm not Daddykins' little baby anymore.<br>I am a married, adult woman._

Wendy sighed, letting everything sink in. The truth, for her, was not like a current, but a leaking stream of sorts. Some facts came easy; _I'll finally be queen! I can get anything I want! _Some can hard, jerking at her heart; _I don't love this man. I agreed to this for Daddykins. But I won't see him much anymore. Or my idiot brothers..._

She turned her head in the direction of the rising tide. This was supposed to be her honeymoon, but her husband, King Otur of the Water World was busy with his council. Her honeymoon was thus being spent with six of her brothers. Only her youngest had returned to the castle in Darkland with their father. Her mentally unstable state of mind combined with the light of the sun on the water made distinguishing the five figures of her brothers playing in the water impossible.

_Wait.. Five? There should be six... _She growled as she blinked her eyes a couple times. _When I can see which one of those losers left me here., I swear I'll - - -_

Her mental ranting was cut short by the feeling of cold glass against her neck. She squealed loudly at the chill, her arm swinging out in reflex. Only when she heard a voice behind her did her body come to a jerking halt.

"It's cherry soda. That is your favorite, ja?"

Ludwig. Her oldest brother. _So looks like all six are here after all. _She silently laughed at herself as she took the bottle from his hand. Thanking him, she stared at the label for a moment before screwing the lid off with her claw. He took a seat beside of her in the sand before popping the lid off of his own bottle- which looked like vanilla soda, though Wendy didn't bother to pay too much attention- with his front fang. They sat in silence for a moment, watching their brothers goof off in the water.

" I will not force it out of you," he began in his calm voice, "but I can tell that something is upsetting you."

"Nothing's wrong," she lied half-heartedly. _Why does he have to be so observant and smart and shit?_ "Nothing that concerns you, anyway."

"You are lying. But I won't force you to be honest with me if you do not wish to."  
>Her gaze turned to the sand beneath them. She fought inwardly with herself- <em>Should I tell him the truth? I know he wouldn't tell anyone that I'm in a loveless marriage, or that I... How can I even say it to myself- that I'm going to miss him and the others?<br>_"How can you tell that I'm upset?"

"Simple. If nothing was bothering you, you would be in the water with the others." His tone was so matter-of-fact that it almost scared her. She should have expected it from him, though. He was most certainly observant, and she knew that he was always keeping an eye on her and her brothers. He could probably list several facts about each of them- including her own love for water.

"Guess I'm just not in the mood for swimming," she lied again.

"Ach... Ist das so?" He continued to gaze at her in silence for several moments, trying to read her eyes, but her direction toward the sand made it hard even for him. The sun was beginning to set, and her expression seemed to become more solemn as the light faded. It was almost like a beautiful painting- an artificial imitation on growing sorrow in a beautiful subject. But it was real. This wasn't just a result of brush strokes. This was his only sister, falling slowly in despair. But it wasn't in his nature to pull her close and comfort her. Hell, the fact that he was acknowledging her pain and showing any sort of concern was quite uncharacteristic of him.

That's not to say he didn't usually care. Of course he did, not only about her, but about all of his siblings. He just often found no reason to show it. Somehow, though, he didn't mind showing the slightest bit of concern now. Perhaps it was because his sister was going away? Because she was a married woman?

"Ach Gott... I feel old." He allowed himself to laugh at his own thoughts. For the most part, his laugh was reserved and gentlemanly. A couple 'kooks' of sound did, however, escape here and there, making Wendy smile at a sea of memories.

"Do you remember when we were kids," she loosened up toward _Kooky_, seeing as how that side of her brother was still very much alive. "You and I had planned on running away from the castle. We wanted to make something out of ourselves... Not just live as prince and princess. You always said you were going to make so much money off of your inventions that it would make King Dad jealous."

"You always swore that you would come live with me. Off of my money, that is." He laughed a bit more honestly now. "And we nearly succeeded... but you had to go and start crying the night we left because you left your favorite necklace in your room."

"Funny that we were able to sneak out of the castle, no problem... But we got caught going back in!"

The two laughed for some time, lost in memories of younger days. They now payed no mind to their brothers or anyone else on the beach. Wendy finally sighed. She then allowed herself to lay her head on Ludwig's shoulder, to which he raised an eyebrow but was too busy laughing to protest.

"I really wish we could go back to those days..." She managed to fight back the tears, not wanting to seem as helpless as she was.

"That would be pleasant." He managed to calm himself. "Back then, the thought of you as a bride would have never crossed my mind."

"And if it did, I'm sure you wouldn't have thought that I would get married before you, right?" She smirked a bit, returning to her snarky self. "I mean, for a future king, you sure don't have an impressive list of potential queens."

"What can I say? I'm too busy with my music to think about things like that."

Smiling, Wendy stared into the moon that was becoming more visible with each minute. Maybe things weren't as bad as she she first thought. Sure, she didn't love Otur- he was even more of a nerd than Iggy! But she would still see her own family every now and then.  
><em>At least I could hope. More so for their own sake than mine, of course!<em>

_... _

Frantically, one of the koopa guards that King Bowser had relocated to Water World to keep an eye on his only daughter ran from the Castle to the Beach.  
>"Oh my grand star! Oh my grand fucking star!" He panted in disbelief of the news he had just heard. The terrible news he was now instructed to relay to his matriarch. "Dead! Our king is dead!"<p>

He didn't know the specifics. All he knew was that some time shortly after Bowser had returned to Koopa Castle an attack against the kingdom took place. This attack, by whom he had not heard, had claimed the life of the great koopa king. As for the prince and other members of the Koopa Troopa, nothing was known. He really did not want to listen to the cries that his lady was likely to make... But he had his duty. He would remain loyal to the Koopa Family, no matter how much it hurt his ears. To be honest, though, his heart was already hurting more.  
><em>It's not the servants job to show any pain. <em>He reasoned with himself as he fought back his own tears.

When he approached the shore, he saw that Queen Wendy- that very name in and of itself tearing at his heart- was not alone, but that Prince Ludwig was by her side. Not only that, but the other princes- the other 'Koopalings', as the seven often referred to themselves by- were walking toward the two.

_Seven birds with one stone? Or just that much harder...? _The koopa thought to himself. It didn't really matter. He had to do it. Calming himself, he marched up to them.

"Well... Excuse me, Princess. I mean Queen. And Princes. I have urgent and tragic news..."

* * *

><p><em>And there is the first chapter. Let me know what you think, and I'll post the next chapter soon. :) Also, if you have any ideas, such as scenes or pairs, just throw them out there and I may be able to fit them in. :) <em>


	2. Why Should I Know?

_This chapter was an interesting experience for me. I started out with a completely different idea that I was unable to finish... about five times. Finally, this idea came to me, and I managed to stick with it. Hopefully you enjoy it. :)_  
><em>Oh, and I still don't own these characters. Of course.<em>

* * *

><p>"You really don't know anything? I'd bet you're lying."<br>"Look, we know ya ain't stupid, ya little punk! Tell us what happened! Who killed 'im?"  
>"We just wanna know what happened... You were here, and you were always with King Dad... Please, just tell us..."<p>

_Shut up! You losers don't know anything! _I _don't know anything! Why should I know anything? Look, I just lost my Papa... just like you! Can't I have some time to myself, losers?_

"You are a smart youngster, so you must realize that we are not accusing you of anything..."  
>"Hell no, we're not! I am! I actually think he did it! I mean, think about it! He was always with King Dad, and yet he says he doesn't know anything... That's just stupid! I mean-"<br>"No, we are _not _accusing him. He is our brother."  
>"Well, I still think he did it!"<p>

_Jeez, won't you losers just shut up? Aren't you all my big brothers? Why are you all ganging up on me like this? I hate you... Mama always says that hate is a bad thing, but right now I... I just don't care! You losers deserve for me to hate you!_

Bowser Junior clenched his fists tightly, glaring silently at his older brothers. He really didn't understand them at all. No... _they_ didn't understand _him_. It had been three days since they had returned from Water World, and not one of them had spoke to him until now. He now wished they had forgotten about his very existence, because they had came to him all at once, asking about their father's death. As if he was supposed to know every little detail! Some nerve they had... And he really couldn't stand it.  
>In fact, he wanted them all to drop dead for such assumptions. He knew his Mama would be disgusted at the thought, but his Papa? Wouldn't he be proud of him for being strong enough to do it?<br>_Isn't that what Papa always wanted from me? To be tough and fearless and everything. To be like him..._

"Look, I told you," he began, tensing his body as to keep from acting out- it was much too soon to do anything, "I don't know who attacked. I don't know why they killed Papa. I don't know why I was left alive... So just stop asking."

His attention panned slowly across each of his brothers, taking in the features and expressions of each. First was Lemmy, whose face was red with tears and body shook slightly, as though he was going to burst back into a crying fit at any moment. Then there was Iggy, whose large eyes twitched, staring back, and whose head was slightly tilted as a strange, low squeal escaped from his lungs. Directly in front of him was Ludwig, whose round eyes were bloodshot, and whose hair was very much unkempt. To his side was Larry, who stood silently with his arms crossed- probably plotting something. Morton was next. His eyes were wide and angry as he attempted to pry Roy's hand from his mouth. Roy, of course, was almost impossible to read, because of his sunglasses, but the curve of his lips suggested that he was rather annoyed- but whether it was just with Morton or something more, Junior couldn't tell.

"Why do ya keep sayin' that," Roy growled, stepping in closer toward his youngest brother. "Frankly, guys, I'm gettin' tired of this punk ass lyin' to us. Now, if ya don't wanna get ya head shoved up ya ass, tell us what the fuck ya know! Now!"  
>As Roy shortened the distance between the two of them, Junior puffed up his chest and hissed. This display of fearlessness only encouraged the older brother, making him laugh out loud.<br>"Oh, ya think ya can take me?"

_Oh, I can take all of you losers! You laugh now, but just you watch...!  
><em>Finally succumbing to a blind rage, he thrust his entire body toward his brother, then proceeded to clench his fangs into the flesh of his victim's arm. Ignoring Roy's howl of anger, he swung his limbs wildly, punching and kicking any spot he could manage. A sort of excitement rushed throughout his body when his bite struck blood, causing him to to bite and swing harder.

"Fuckin' freak!" Roy screamed in a mixture of shock- not one of his siblings had ever left a mark on him- and anger. Due to the grip the little moron had on his arm, he was able to easily lift him off of the ground just by lifting his arm. Thanks to his instinct as a fighter, he quickly thought of a way to use this to his advantage. Ignoring all of the measly 'throws', he swung his arm toward the stone wall.

Lemmy and Iggy both screamed and retreated into their shells as soon as they heard Junior's bones crack from the impact. Morton howled in encouragement, finding Roy's rage quite the site to behold. Larry took a couple steps back in fear, not wanting to agitate the situation. Ludwig, feeling heat build up in his lungs, quickly scanned the area surrounding the two, determining at which angle his fire breath would least harm them and yet make them stop.

Junior released his bite, a scream of pain escaping his lips. His back had been protected by his shell, but his legs had met the wall with such force that he knew almost instantly that they were broken. Frantically, he tried to use his arms to crawl up his brother's arm, now more worried about distancing himself from the wall than hurting anyone. Roy quickly caught on and laughed yet again as he jerked his arm back, and then back into the wall- this time making a point to make Junior's head the part of his body that cracked.

_Papa... It hurts so much... Please... Make it stop!  
><em>His vision fading fast, Junior let out a weak cry.  
>He could hear the screams of his brothers, followed by the sensation of a sudden heat enveloping him.<br>Then everything turned to nothing.

* * *

><p><em>And there is is. Please review and let me know what you think, and the third chapter will be up soon. :)<em>


	3. Deep Thinking

_Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait on updating this. I've been pretty busy with voice acting, as well as getting a new job, so writing hasn't been my top priority as of late. But I'm not the type to leave something unfinished, so I'm working on managing my time to update this and 'Countdown' more frequently. _  
><em>Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!<em>  
><em>Oh, and I don't own these characters. Or the definition for 'Death'. Surely you didn't expect that I did, though, now did you?<em>  
><em>Enough rambling! Here's chapter three. :)<em>

* * *

><p>"Death. It means... the permanent end of all bodily functions. The cessation of living."<p>

Iggy pushed his glasses up and stared hard at the word in the dictionary. _Death_. This meant that all bodily functions of his father had permanently ended. His father had ceased to live.  
>Or had he really? It had been five days since he and his brothers had returned to Darkland, but had not been permitted to see his father.<p>

"Ig... why are you looking _that_ up...? You know what... what it means... for... King...Daddy..."

The tone of Lemmy's voice failed to register in Iggy's brain. Only the words. And even to that he didn't answer. He was lost in his own thoughts.

_How is this really any different than the other times that he refuses to see anyone? It's not. After all, what damage was done to the castle? A couple broken statues here and there? Nothing new. Those things happen all of the time! And Bowsie said he doesn't know anything..._

"Ig..." The older twin tried again to obtain the full attention of the younger. "We should go play a game or something... Come on! You... you scare me when you're like this..."

"A... game?"

"Yeah! Maybe tell each other some jokes or something!"  
><em>Was Iggy coming back down to reality at the thought of having fun? Lemmy could only hope so.<em>

"Joke..."

"Yeah! Doesn't that sound fun?"

The word didn't bring about the reaction that Lemmy had hoped for. Instead, Iggy closed his eyes tightly and leaned his head back, pondering over it.

_A joke... How can I know that this isn't just a big joke on King Daddy's part? He can be a pretty good prankster when he wants to be! I bet he's just seeing how long it takes one of us to find out the truth!  
>Of course, he could always be dead... I wonder... how to know...<br>I know, I'll find him! If he is alive, then we'll both get a good laugh out of this. If he's dead, then it'll be an awesome experience for me as a scientist...! _

A high screech escaped his lungs- he could barely contain his excitement. Particularly that brought on by the second of the two possibilities. He loved jokes, sure! But... a part of him wanted his father to be dead, and for his corpse, likely rotting, to be in the castle. He knew that the very thought would be sickening to anyone else. But to him, it was quite intriguing. _Oh, what experiments I could conduct with him! Ludwig never lets me have fun like that in the lab, so this is my chance!_ His screech then turned to a strange variant of laughter that lasted for several minutes.

"Iggy... why are you like this?"  
>Lemmy sighed, more-so to himself than to his brother. He didn't expect an answer. Over the past few years, Iggy had become more and more distant. Many times, Lemmy had overheard Ludwig and their father- <em>Oh, why did you have to die?<em>- discussing what was best for the lenses-wearing koopaling. Words such as 'disorder', 'medication', and 'asylum' were used often, but Lemmy preferred to not think of them. He wanted to think that Ludwig was simply over-thinking things when he said them. He wanted to think that Bowser's anger, his saying that such ideas were stupid, was right.  
>But now, he just wasn't sure. Maybe Ludwig was right. Maybe Iggy was crazy.<p>

"Ooooowiee!"  
>His thoughts were interrupted by the loud cry. His good eye jolted up toward his twin, who was wincing and shaking his pinky hard in pain.<p>

"What happened," he gasped, stumbling to get up on his own feet, before quickly jumping onto his ball and rolling over closer. "Did you get a boo-boo?"

"Paper cut! Ooooooowiee!"

Lemmy blinked, then laughed a tiny bit. He took Iggy's hand into his own and looked at the cut. It was small, but a small amount of blood could be seen.

"Gross!" His face scrunched at the sight. He couldn't help but laugh a bit. Paper cuts did in fact hurt, but Iggy's reaction to them was always over-the-top.

"It's not funny! The germs are gonna get inside of me and make me sick! Get a Medikoopa, Lem! I need help!"

_Typical Ig. And not crazy. Just plain old Ig._ Lemmy smiled. He still had his favorite brother. He didn't belong in a nut house. He was at home in Castle Koopa. _They_ belonged in Castle Koopa, _together_.

"The Medikoopas are busy with Bowsie. Roy really let him have it, remember? But we can go together to that medical room place. Get you a cool band-aid!"

Iggy nodded frantically, his blue eyes wide. All of his previous thoughts left his mind. The pain had brought him back to reality.

* * *

><p>"I hope no one calls me a little kid because of this... I swear, I'm strong!"<br>Bowser Junior groaned. He had tried to raise up to make his point, but pain had overcame his body and forced him back onto his temporary bed. The springs sounded uncomfortably from the pressure of his weight.  
>"I'm fine... I really am." His words came out weakly.<p>

"That may be, but you still have to be careful."

Junior smirked at the voice. Turning onto his side, he came face to face with Larry, who had taken a seat next to the bed.  
><em>What a sneak... I never even noticed he was in here.<em>

"So, how are you feeling," the older brother asked.

"Like I don't belong in this stupid room. It's like my first real fight with that Mario all over again!"

Larry chuckled a bit, glancing around the room. Or rather, one of the parts that had been sectioned off by curtains. Since the fight with Roy, Junior had been placed in the castle Infirmary. Of course, since their dad always had a 'suck it up' mentality, it was one of the less-cared for parts of the castle. A very large room with medicinal equipment and machines scattered about. There were just below twenty beds, each with curtains at each side, and two yards of space at both the left and right sides of the bed. Medikoopas would come in and out periodically, checking on patients and cleaning the area a bit.  
>It was pretty damn easy to sneak into. Especially for good old 'Cheatsy'.<p>

"So... why did you come in here, anyway?" Junior glared weakly, making a quick assumption. "You wanted to see 'the brat' down, right?"

"Not really. Guess I was just curious." Larry's usual smile formed on his face, confusing his younger brother. "Glad to see you're okay."

"Whatever."

The two didn't speak after that for several minutes. Larry began clicking his tongue to a random tune that was stuck in his head while staring up at the ceiling. Junior closed his eyes and rest his head on his pillow. He was so weak and tired that he needed sleep. But there was too much on his mind. He felt stupid for thinking so deeply, but it just couldn't help himself.  
><em>Maybe I should talk to someone about it? No, they all think I'm just a brat. Well... Maybe not Larry here. I guess...He's a big cheat, but... I can trust him, right?<br>_Giving in, with his eyes still closed, he spoke up.  
>"What's gonna happen to us? Now that Papa's... dead...?"<p>

The light-blue-haired koopaling thought about the question for a moment, his smile slowly fading.

"Well, there's that whole crowning ceremony for Ludwig the day after tomorrow," he began. "He'll have to pick out a new general, too... The rest of us? We'll probably end up like Sis."

"Do you think that's what... Papa would want... for us?" The youngest of Bowser's sons yawned, slowly giving in to sleep.

Larry waited until he heard snoring to answer, more to himself than to his brother.  
>"I really don't know."<p>

Just then, he heard shuffling. He could tell quickly that it wasn't a Medikoopa, so he didn't worry about hiding. Instead, he pulled the curtains back to see who it was.  
>Lemmy and Iggy. The two were standing next to one of the cabinets, covered from head to toe in band-aids.<p>

"What the heck are you two doing?"

They turned and smiled at him innocently.  
>"Iggy got a-"<br>"Paper cut!"

"And.. so you have to cover yourselves with band-aids?"

"Yeah!" The taller of the two then tilted his head, walking over. "What are you doing in here, Larry?"

"Just checking on BJ." He then pulled the curtain more so the two could see their youngest sibling. "Shh, he's sleeping."

They both stumbled over to get a closer look. He was covered in bandages, and they could spot a large bump on his head.

Lemmy smiled at how peaceful he looked sleeping.  
>Iggy stared at the injuries, and then one thought came to his mind.<p>

_He looks a lot like King Daddy... I wonder... if King Daddy really did die... did he look like this?  
><em>And a strand of much darker thoughts followed.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading. :3 And please, leave a review. Let me know what do you (or don't) like about the story so far, and any critiques that you may have. It really helps me to work more on writing. And the next chapter will be up soon!<em>


	4. Someone to Talk to

_I must apologize for such a long delay on this chapter. I have been rather busy as of late, with both my minimum-wage job and my voice acting... But it is finally here!_  
><em>What's this, an anti-disclaimer of sorts? Why, yes! Janelle is my own character, as are Judas and Otur(those two are only mentioned in here...) ...I still don't own any of the Koopa family, though.<em>  
><em>Enough rambling! Enjoy!<em>

* * *

><p>"How the hell is it that no one wants to talk to me? Does no one even know who I am? Does no one care about my opinions on everything? I have feelings, too! This is all fucking gay!"<p>

Morton stomped loudly through one of the many halls of Castle Koopa, looking for someone- anyone- to talk to. Before his dad's death, there was no shortage of guards willing to listen to him. But since then, they all wandered frantically through the kingdom. All much too 'busy' to talk to listen to him.

And his siblings? Hell no! Larry never was one for long chats, and would often sneak away from the speeches that were so generously relayed to him by his older brother. Lemmy and Iggy? No, they both got bored too quickly, becoming restless and trying to climb the dark-scaled koopaling. Or more recently, for Iggy, try to amputate a limb or get inside of his brain. As for Roy... Well, Morton didn't want to end up in the infirmary like Junior. Ludwig was completely out of the question- he had much to do these days, it seemed. And he still had another day until he became king!

_Wendy?  
>Maybe. ...Wait. Shit!<br>She's not even here! God fucking damn it!  
><em>  
>Just then, his stomach growled loudly. Poking a claw at his large gut, he growled back even louder.<br>"Damn, I am hungry! And do I mean_ hungry_! Shit! How long has it been since I ate? Almost two hours? Man!"  
>At this he changed his direction toward the nearest kitchen. He stomped and cursed loudly, hoping to get some reaction from the servants he passed on the way. But no such luck. Finally, he made it to his destination and opened the refrigerator in one harsh movement.<p>

"Alright! Let's see what we've got here... One Fungus-Up left? Well, _sorry_, Iggster, but it's _mine_ now! And what else..."

"Prince Morton?"

Jolted by the sudden acknowledgement, he turned his attention toward a young magikoopa standing at one of the counters. Her hood was off of her head, revealing dark red hair with purple streaks pulled into two uneven braids. Her large yellow eyes were framed by black glasses, and he was able to spot a band-aid across her left check.

"Janelle? Hey, it really is you!"  
>The large prince laughed a bit, grabbing the first thing he could out of the refrigerator- a slice of chocolate cake covered with strawberry glaze- shut the door with his foot, and then walked over to his old friend.<br>"Man, it has been awhile, hasn't it?" He began his usual rambling as she smiled quietly, switching her gaze every so often from him to the cookbooks she had laid out across the counter. "Are you here to see Old Man Kamek? What is he, your great-grand father or something? Oh, that's right! Where's your brother? The two of you used to hang out with us all of the time, but now I never see either of you anymore!"

Janelle simple smiled back as Morton rambled on for some time about everything, and yet nothing in particular. It wasn't until she paused for breath that she put any response to all of the questions in words.  
>"It seems you don't remember. Judas and I were both assigned by our late king to serve Queen Wendy..." A sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head slightly. "...Queen Wendy. It seems so unreal!"<p>

Morton laughed loudly at the name. "She's an old hag now!"

"Well, we're not that far behind her in age," the magikoopa giggled a bit.

"Oh, not cool, Janelle," Morton gasped. "I'm older than you! Does that make me an old man?"

"Only by a matter of months!"

"Whatever! I'm not an old man, you know! I am in my prime, dammit!" After saying this, he took a large bite of his cake. He pointed at it as though to offer her a piece. She kindly refused and lowered her gaze at one of the cookbooks. "Suit yourself," she was able to make out through his mouth full of food.

"Anyway," she changed the subject, "the reason I'm here is to fetch some of these cookbooks. Your sister doesn't particularly enjoy the recipes we have stored over in the Water World Castle, so she assigned me to come here and pick out the best ones to bring back."

Morton swallowed before replying, "That sounds just like her! So, has she said anything about coming to visit us anytime soon? I mean, surely she's not going to let this _Queenie_ stuff get to her head! She can't forget about her brothers, can she? Especially me! I mean, I must be her favorite little brother!"

"Actually, she will arrive here in the morning."

"What, really? That's awesome!"

"Yes. She will be in the audience for the Coronation... King Ludwig... It seems so unreal!"

"He's an old geezer now!"

Janelle giggled a bit more as she closed the books and stacked a couple of them on top of one another.  
>"Well, I think I've found what I need... But there is someone that I must see before I leave."<p>

"Oh, really? But I was having so much fun talking with you! No one ever wants to talk to me lately!"

"I'm sorry, Prince Morton... But do you know where Prince Roy is?"

Morton groaned loudly. _Of course she wants to see one of those idiot brothers of mine! Everyone wants to see someone but me! What is so fucking wrong with me?  
><em>"Fine, I'll take you to his room! Man, and here I thought I had found someone to chat with!"

"I'm sorry, Prince Morton."

"It's fine, dammit! I'm kind of freaking used to it. I mean, since King Dad died it's like no one even knows I'm here! ...Don't no body touch my cake! Or my pop! I'll be right back!"

He continued his angry rambling the entire walk to Roy's bedroom. Janelle almost felt sorry for upsetting him. _Almost_. But for as long as she could remember, he had always been that way. Never shutting up, absurdly short temper...  
><em>Must run in the family. His sister can be quite the same way...<br>But that doesn't matter right now. I really do need to see that dimwitted older brother of theirs..._

"Roy!" Morton pounded his fist loudly on the carmine-tinted door when they reached their destination. "Hey! Bro! Open the fuck up! You have a visitor, you lucky little son of a bitch! Roooooooooy!"

The door slammed open, knocking Morton over. As if that weren't already enough, Roy glared at him on the ground before a moment then proceeded to drag him to his younger brother to his feet by his arm.  
>"Do ya <em>have<em> to be so loud ya damn moron?"  
>"Well, to get your attention, I have..."<br>"I didn't give ya permission to say anything!"  
>"But you asked a question, so I really..."<br>"Shut up!"

Janelle tilted her head in the slightest bit of annoyance as she watched the two brothers duel. Of course, it didn't last long at all. Roy punched Morton twice- once in the stomach and once in the face- and then Morton yelled about how Roy was keeping him from his snack. The younger brother then ran off, and Roy groaned in annoyance. He stepped back into his room and nearly slammed the door until he remembered just what caused this little event. Turning his head back, he noticed Janelle for the first time.

"Well, look who it is!"

"Hello, Prince Roy..."

"Stop bein' so formal," he laughed deeply for a bit before leading her into the room. It was littered with work out equipment and empty bottles and smelled of sweat and alcohol. She scanned the various posters- some with quotes relating to determination and the like and some of muscular figures, both male and female- that were hanging on his dark puce wall. "Ya know to just call me by my name," he stated as he shut the door behind them.

She waited until she heard the door click until she replied. "Yeah, but I've got a reputation to live up to while others are watching, you dumbass."

"Hey now," he smirked as he quickly pulled her robe over her head and pushed her onto his bed, letting out a low growl, "no one gets away with callin' me a dumbass."

"Oh, really now?" She smirked back as her body sank slightly into the mattress. She took in the scent of his body that came off from the unmade sheets as she stretched her limbs. "And just what are you going to do about it, hm?"

He crawled over top of her, stabilizing himself above her with his arms and legs, the smirk never leaving his face. "I think I might have to punish ya a bit..."

"You know this isn't what I came for, right?" She protested weakly as his head lowered and he began to kiss at her neck.

"Do ya think I fuckin' care," he asked in a husky voice. "I haven't had my way with ya in some time."

"Well, you certainly don't take your time, do you?"

"Babe, why should I? It's not like anyone's watchin'!"

Janelle closed her eyes, taking in every touch, every smell, every sound. It really had been far too long since she had been so close to Roy. Their relationship had always been kept secret from others, meaning they had not many moments like this. But they became even further since Wendy's engagement to Otur. To her, that made every moment with him special. The sound of his voice, raucous. His scent, sweat mixed with cologne. The best of it all, though, was the way his kisses felt on her neck, her cheeks, her arms...

_Riiiiiiiing. Riiiiiiiing. _

"Oops, there goes your cell phone," Janelle laughed a little awkwardly.  
><em>Riiiiiiiing.<em>  
>"Aren't you going to answer that...?"<br>"They can fuckin' wait."

_Riiiiiiiing.  
>Riiiiiiiing.<em>  
><em>Hey, it's Roy. I'm too busy to talk right now, so ya just leave a message and I might get around to it. But if you leave a stupid one I'll beat ya! Haha! So, uh... yeah. Just leave a message. Or whatever.<br>Beep!_

"...Stupid bro! Ignoring me? I'll show you tomorrow!"  
>Wendy then ended her message, sighing in anger.<br>_How dare he not answer me? Some big brother he is! Whatever... I mean, I'm too busy to talk to him right now, anyway! ...At least I have to act like it._

Placing her hands on her hips, she stared out to the ocean. She was supposed to be readying herself for the ride to Darkland, but right now she simply didn't look forward to the trip. Of course she was looking forward to being _home_ for the short time. Never had the shores of Water World seem so foreign to her as they did now.

But the kingdom she would be visiting wasn't the one she remembered. She knew this, and it made her feel, in a word, helpless. Home was where her dad was, both encouraging and scolding her and her brothers for 'being mean', as they often said. Home was were she and her brothers didn't have to do anything but fight Mario every once in awhile and keep from killing one another. Home was nothing but a memory.

_Damn it... This is _not_ what I want!_

Fighting back tears, she knelled down onto her knees and stuck one of her claws in the sand. She was never the artistic type, and it showed. But after some time she managed to draw nine figures in the ground. Her family. She stepped back and smiled at her work for several minutes, allowing herself to become lost in memories.  
>But reality is a bitch, and so is the tide. Tears finally fell as she watched the water come and go several times, erasing the images one by one.<p>

Wendy mumbled to no one in particular, "I hate you."

* * *

><p><em>This is my longest chapter yet... also, it was rather weird to write Roy in a 'sexy' situation like that... I'm a Ludwig fangirl, after all, and my idea of sexy is quite different... Gah, whatever! Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews keep me motivated, something I need given my crazy schedule! =p <em>


	5. Sleepless Nights

_This is the quickest I've updated... I'm proud of myself! xD And it was even the most difficult chapter I've written so far.. _  
><em>Anyways, as always, I don't own these characters. <em>  
><em>Enjoy. :3<em>

* * *

><p>"Are you ready? Do you really think you have what it takes?"<br>_Ach... not _this _again.  
><em>"You're still so young! Are you ready?"  
><em>For you to know so much about me, you should know very well that I have been anticipating this day for some time.<br>_"You're right. But you've never had to think about it by yourself."  
><em>I do my best work alone. Now, if you would kindly silence yourself, I must rest in peace.<br>_"..."

"..."  
>"...Ha!"<br>_What is it, you faceless imbecile?  
><em>"Just look at you! Overindulged! Selfish! Weak!"  
><em>...<br>_"Nothing to say back? Ha! Oh, what a pathetic king you are going to be!"  
><em>Fick dich.<br>_"Our pathetic king! Oh, poor Darkland! Our thirty-sixth ruler is pathetic!"  
><em>Genug! Show yourself!<em>

Light quickly illuminated the room, forcing Ludwig to blink. But the space was not his normal bedroom. He found himself facing the throne. He knew it should be unoccupied, but instead, a large figure rested casually there. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he took in the features of the figure, from the feet up.  
>Cuts, scars, open wounds...blood was spattered on the large body, but it just sat as though nothing were wrong. The most disturbing feature, however, was not one of the marks on the body, but the face. Disfigured, snarky, and far too familiar. Those dark red eyes... they were prominent in some of Ludwig's earliest memories.<p>

"Well, here I am," the voice was now matched to this figure. The horrid, mocking figure of his father's living corpse. "Really, son! Didn't you recognize your old man's voice?"

"Va... Vater... but..."

Ludwig staggered backwards in disbelief at the realization of just who had been haunting him the past few nights. Everything hit him at once. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, feeling as though he would vomit when the smell of blood and rotting flesh entered his nostrils. He was unable to keep from gagging as his father let out roaring laughter.

"Goddamn, boy! I was just giving you a hard time! But just look at you! You wuss!"

"Vater... how?"

Ludwig's body shook as the laughter grew louder, filling his good ear until it felt he would become entirely deaf. But no such luck. Instead, he was frozen. Tormented. Normally, he would be the last to show any sort of fear over this sort of thing, but this was beyond anything in his studies.  
>Nothing had prepared him for this sight. For this scent. For this pain.<br>He had been ridiculed by his father for years. Often he would return the disgust- it was a joke... Some bizarre bond between the two of them... But this?

"This is impossible! You are dead!"

"Well, aren't you the smart one?"

Ludwig shut his eyes tight, ridding himself of the visions.  
><em>How is this happening? You are dead! I confirmed that with Sir Kamek! Surely... Surely I have not died as well! That is impossible! Everything that's happening right now is impossible! This is some absurd dream... why can't I wake myself?<em>  
>"Look at you! You can't even look at me now! How are you going to be king if you can't look at us who did it right?"<br>_Vater..._  
>"Damn, I raised you better than this, son! But you're nothing but a wuss! Maybe if Junior or Roy had been born first..."<br>_Vater... Genug.  
><em>"You had better not screw up what I've done for this place!"  
><em>...Vati... Bitte.<em>  
>"Well, aren't you gonna say something back? You normally do, you smart-ass!"<br>_Genug! You are not here! Go away! Leave me to rest, you imbecile!_

At that, Ludwig opened his eyes again, thrusting his arm toward the face of this vission.  
>"Ooooowie!"<br>_Thud!  
><em>"Oh... ow..."  
>Or at least what he <em>thought<em> was his father. Blinking his eyes a couple times, he came to realize that he was sitting up in his own room, in his own bed. And he had just punched one of his younger brothers, causing him to fly into the wall.  
>"...Ignatius?"<p>

Iggy whimpered loudly, rubbing his head as he tried to get back on his feet.  
>"Ah, Kooky... That really hurt, you meanie!"<br>"Are you okay?" Ludwig turned to his side, facing Lemmy. Instead of walking around the bed to reach the other side of the room and get to Iggy, the older twin attempted to crawl across the bed. "I'll get to you in a sec, Ig! This bed is big!"

Ludwig put his paw to his forehead, moaning a bit.  
>"Just what are the two of you doing in here?"<p>

"We couldn't sleep," Lemmy stated as he stumbled over the mattress.  
>"So we came in here to see if we could sleep with you tonight," Iggy finished weakly, continuing to rub his now bruised head.<p>

The oldest of the brothers fell back onto his pillow, watching from the corners of his eyes as Lemmy reached Iggy and poked at the spot on his head.  
>"Don't you think you're a little too old for something like that?"<br>"Um..." The twins looked at each other for a second, then toward their brother. At the same time they responded simply; "No."

Shaking his head slightly, Ludwig silently weighed the pros and cons.  
><em>I suppose having them here might allow me to sleep without having another of those nightmares... Besides... They are sure to be hurting now. Probably more than I am. I... I knew that he would die soon enough. But they probably never even imagined such a thing.<em>

"Get over here," he smiled against himself.  
>"Really?"<br>"Ja. But you have to sleep. No staying awake and conversing."

The two giggled a bit as they stumbled over to the bed, jumping on it and crawling a bit until they found the most comfortable spots. For Iggy, it was right beside of Ludwig's left leg. He positioned himself with his back turned to his older brother, so that he could see traces of light from under the door. He grabbed a bundle of the large comforter and hugged it tight, then realized he still had his glasses on. He simply shook his head until they fell off of his face and into the floor, then he closed his eyes. For Lemmy, it was right at Ludwig's side, resting his arm and head on his older brother's stomach. He made no attempt to reserve any cover for himself, as he always preferred the cold.

Ludwig considered protesting their positions, but knew it would be no good. Iggy was already snoring. Lemmy was humming a lullaby, one that Ludwig recognized as being sung by Kammy Koopa, long before her senility, to him when he was a mere hatchling. He smiled a bit more, placing one paw on Lemmy's back and the other of Iggy's head. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having them in his bed, as long as they were to stay asleep.

"Um... Kooky?"  
>He held back a groan of annoyance when Lemmy's voice rose. Instead, he just turned his head a bit, facing his younger brother, who was now staring wide-eyed back.<br>"Um... Are any of of going to see King Daddy again anytime soon?"  
>"What are you talking about? You do realize what we mean when we say that he is dead... Do you not?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"The why do you ask?"<br>"Just curious... that is the right word, right?"  
>"...Good night, Lemuel," Ludwig responded, ending the conversation.<br>"'night!"

Ludwig fought against himself when he felt the urge to run his fingers through his brothers' hair and sing the old lullaby. He did, however, allow himself to hum a tune of his own. He heard Lemmy's own snoring combine with Iggy's as his vocal sonata continued, and swore to himself that the answer Lemmy's question was a solid 'Nein.'  
><em>...I still can not believe that in the morning I will become King Ludwig...<br>_With that, he succumbed to some much-needed slumber.

...

"So, uh, Old Man... Is this the book you're looking for?"

Kamek turned his head to see which book had been presented to him. He squinted his eyes, but was still unable to read the letters printed on the cover. So he reached out his trembling arm and grazed over the braille with his sensitive claw.  
>"Cus...tom...s... of... co...ron...a...ti...ons..."<br>"Yeah, that's what it says," Larry confirmed, distancing himself a tiny bit from the old magikoopa. "So, is that the right one?"  
>"Yes... Thank you, young Princess Borine."<br>"It's _Prince Larry_..."

The young koopaling crossed his arms, realizing that his protest was worthless. He had been told time and time again that he greatly resembled his aunt. But not _that _much. Of course, with the way Kamek's mind had been slowly dissolving, he knew that the old man wouldn't understand. After all, this was the same man who had burst into his room twice in the night, first believing it to be a bathroom, and then later believing that it was the Castle Library.

After the second time, Larry decided it wasn't too safe to let Kamek wander alone, so he directed him to his destination. He then decided to help find the book in question. He watched as the magikoopa slowly made his way to one of the tables, opened the book, and ran his fingers over the first page.

"So, uh, do you need any help reading that?"  
>"No, your highness... I am quite fine."<br>"Then I guess I'm heading back to bed... okay?"  
>"Alright, Princess... Sleep well. Thank you for helping."<br>"Don't mention it."

Kamek turned his gaze over to Larry, who stopped half-way through the door.  
>"If only your brother could see you being so nice for a change... But don't worry... Your nephew will do well, I'm sure. He's a smart kid. Maybe I'll tell him what you've done tonight."<br>"Don't, for the love of god," Larry mumbled under his breath. "I have a reputation for not doing nice things like this. But I'm too tired to pull some full-on prank. I'm not going to do anything half-assed."

Rubbing his eyes, he walked out the door quickly to avoid any further conversation. The whole thing was just too weird, and he wanted to forget all about it. As he reached his room, he ran his claws through his hair, now down and reaching just above the middle of his back. He payed no mind to the piranha plants that had awoken and eyed him suspiciously as he flopped onto his bed.

He blocked out the thought of Wendy being the queen of another kingdom.  
>He blocked out the thought of King Dad being dead.<br>He blocked out the idea of Ludwig being the king of their home.  
>Drifting to sleep, he blocked out the fact that his family would never be the same.<p>

* * *

><p><em>I've noticed that this is my most popular work as far as favorites and watches go, and is by far my longest.. but it has the least amount of comments. =p Please, if you haven't yet, comment so I can know what you like or don't like about the story! And for the very few who have commented, it's greatly appreciated. :3<em>


End file.
